We just returned from a friend’s house. There were six of us, and she cooked a wonderful lunch. There was so much love that went into the meal, and so much warmth around the table reconnecting with friends we hadn’t seen for awhile. I’m thankful for the sharing of one’s home. We have encountered that a lot over the last several years as we’ve gained many new friends traveling along our spiritual path.
Home is definitely where the heart is as the old saying goes. I feel the beat of my heart as I write this. If everyone followed their heart wouldn’t life be much simpler and much happier?
So how does my own heart beat when it comes to my living space? I follow my own heart when it comes to my own home. I should say our home. It is helpful to have a partner whose heart beats in a very similar fashion. We live more rustically than most. In looking around I find I pattern much after nature. The rock from the outside, and we have plenty of this on our farm, has been moved to the inside. We have two rock fireplaces – well we actually use wood burning stoves. Both are truly unique. Our home overall is truly unique as each person’s should be. When you walk into our home you see an eclectic mix of materials, patterns, textures and objects that resemble us but at the same time don’t define us.
Since we are empty nesters I will mention children briefly. Grandchildren may delightfully change our home scenario in the future; but for now it is just the two of us. You can always tell a home where there is children. You walk in and toys are everywhere. If I ever go into a home with children and don’t have to maneuver around toys, a sadness lingers. Something just isn’t right. I do feel children should be as much a part of every room as the adults are. I remember one summer having the couch by the window. I could lie on the couch watching television while my daughter rode by repeatedly on her tricycle by the opened window playing drive through. We used various toys for food and monopoly money for payment. At other times I would come home and she would greet me at the door like I was entering a restaurant, seating me, with menus written up, mints by the door, and taking my visa for payment. She had quite the imagination. No, she didn’t go into the restaurant business. We did however, pass on to her as did my mother, her grandmother, a love of food, and she is quite a good cook now. It is really hard to mention children briefly, so I will cut myself off at this point. However that brings me to one of the most important areas of the house – the kitchen or eating area.
We are one of the few families that actually use our dining room full time. Our kitchen is rather compact, and the dining room is the only eating area. It is actually the center of the house and gets a lot of use. We like lots of warmth as well as light. You might feel you are entering into a fantasy when entering our dining room. The walls are painted a shade of orange with tinted yellow woodwork and a vermillion cupboard. Dishes are equally colorful. Several years ago I went wild with colors covering all the white walls. Call it menopause, but it was definitely time for a change, and I haven’t tired of the colors one bit.
Both my husband and I have a great love of the outdoors. We love that we are virtually in the middle of nowhere or in the middle of the woods. We love to let all this beauty in with lots of windows. It’s good for reading, which brings me to another essential element of a home filled with heart – books.
Sometimes I wonder why we collect so many books. Each time I vow not to buy another and just read what we already have, I see one more, no five more I think I can’t do without. My husband has this same addiction. I think I’m preparing for those days ahead if they do come to pass when we may be forced back to simpler times. And what do you need in simpler times – well, besides a horse and a plow – books. Books are everywhere in our house – yes, even the bathroom.
I think the bathroom at one time used to be the most overlooked part of the house. What was once simply utilitarian has grown in some homes to resemble ancient Egyptian baths. Bathrooms now can be as much living spaces as the rest of the house. We are fortunate that my husband can do tile work. Tile has been the main theme in our bathrooms, one large one and one small one. Our bodies are made mostly of water; therefore, we should pay no less attention to the room that holds our lifeblood – water.
This is the inside scoop. Stay tuned for the outside scoop.
What is home to you?
J. Schlenker 